Automatic railway-signal.



No. 878,905. PATENTED FEB. 11, 1908.-

- .N. E. SPITLBR.

AUTOMATIG RAILWAY SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6. 1907.

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n m m Wihmoow I Nd. 878,905. j PATENTED FEB. 11,1908. N. E. SPITLER.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SIGNAL.

APPLIQATION rum) AUG. 6. 1907.

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NOAH E. SPITLER, OF SALEM, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY-SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1 1, 1908.

Application filed August 6- 1907. Serial No. 387.291.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NOAH E. SPITLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salem, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railway- Si nals; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in gate and signal-operating mechanism for railroad crossings, and comprises automatically-actuated mechanism which, when the train approaches a crossing from either direction, a semaphore signal is automatically displayed at the crossing, and a section of the track of the crossing road is shifted out of position so that in the event that a car or train on said cross track were to fail to observe the signal, said car or train would be stopped before it got onto the other track, said stoppage being due to the shifted rail on the cross track.

The signal devices consist of a gate arm adapted to be lowered and raised over the track or road crossing the main track; a signal in the form of a semaphore light carried upon said gate arm, and connections between the gate arm, the main track or rails and the cross track or rails as will be hereinafter more fully described.

Preceding a detail description of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, of which-- Figure 1, is a planviewof a railroad crossing having my automatic gate and signal mechanism in position. Figs. 2, and 3 are enlarged detail views of the semaphore. Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5, is a side elevation of said mechanism. Fig. 6, is an enlargedplan view of the cross rails and the semaphore devices. Fig. 7, is a detail of one of the auxiliary rails and its lever. Fig. 8, is a detail view of the telescopic end of the lever which connects the rail of the cross track with the semaphore mechanism. Fig. 9, is a detailof the connection between the cross rail and theoperating connecting rod.

In a detail description of the invention,

ment in and out of alinement with the adj a' cent end of a rail 2.

3 designates a series of four auxiliary rail sections placed on the inner sides of the rails 1 of the main track. These auxiliary rail sections 3 are ivoted at one end to the rails 1 by means 0 bolts 5 which. pass through openings in the rails 1 and in the inner rails 3; the bolts 5 have springs 6 surrounding them between nuts on the inner ends of the bolts and the rails 3. The fit between the bolts 5 and the rails 3 is sufliciently loose to permit of the rails 3 moving away from the rail 1 when the flange of the car wheel enters between the rail 1 and the auxiliary rail 3. The ends of these auxiliary rails 3 opposite their pivotal ends, spread outwardly or away from the main rails 1 as indicated at 8, and the upper side of these spreading ends is provided with a channel 9 through which the flange of the wheel passes when the car or train approaches the signal mechanism. The spreading ends of the auxiliary rails 3 are provided with levers 7 which have their ends i'ulcrumed at 10 and the ends of said levers opposite their pivotal ends have a proper connection with the spreading ends of said rails 3. These levers 7 and their connections with said rails 3 permit said rails 3 to be moved away from the main rails 1, by the flange of the wheel, and after the wheel has passed over that section of the track, the spring 6 is instrumental in closing the auxiliary rail 3.

In Figs. 1 and 1, these spreading movements of the auxiliary rails 3are illustrated,

and it will be understood that when one of said rails 3 is occupying a position close to the main rail 1, the other or adjacent rail 3 will be separated from the rail 1 and vice versa. The mechanism comprised in the semaphore is connected and arranged in a manner to be actuated when a train on the main track approaches within a certain distance of the crossing.

The semaphore arm 11 is arranged to be raised and lowered above the cross track, said arm supporting a lantern 12 which may be arranged to exhibit a red or danger signal when the arm is lowered and to display a white light when the arm is elevated. The said arm has its ends secured in a horizontal shaft 14 mounted in the upper portion of a semaphore frame 13. In the lower portion of which frame an upright shaft 15 is mounted and is connected with a horizontal shaft 14 by bevel gears 16 and 17. The lower end of the upright shaft 15 is journaled in the frame 13, and surrounding said shaft 15 is a coil spring 19, one end of which is inserted in the shaft, and the other end of which is disconnected fromv the shaft so that the said spring will yieldingly control the mechanism and will prevent the semaphore from receiving sudden shocks or jars in elevating or lowering the same through the operation of the devices now to be described.

The movement it will be observed is im parted to the semaphore arm 11 through the gear wheels 17 and 16, the former wheel being as before stated on the shaft 15; this shaft 15 is fixed to the cross arm 18 and said cross arm has an oscillating movement in its bearing 20. Connected with this cross arm and extending therefrom in opposite directions, are four or two sets of connecting rods 2122-23 and 24. The far ends of these connecting rods have similar connections with oscillating arms 25 and 26 which are mounted adjacent to the rails 1 of the main track. Suitably connected to each of the oscillating arms 25 and 26 and extending in opposite directions are link connections 272829 and 30. These linkconnections have suitable connections with crank arms 313233 and 34, said crank arms being rigidly connected to shafts 333435 and 36 which extend under the rails 1 of the main track and the adjacent auxiliary rail 3. The inner ends or those ends lying on the inside of the auxiliary rails 3 are provided with crank plates 373839 and 40 which lie normally about parallel with the lower side or edge of the auxiliary rails 3 and extend under said auxiliary rails so that when any one of these rails are depressed by the weight of a car, the multiplicity of lever connections will transmit movement to the semaphore arm to lower or to raise it according to the direction of the movement of the train passing over the main track.

The actuating mechanism just described is more clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5. When the engine approaches the auxiliary rail 3 moving from the right to the left, the weight placed upon said rail will actuate the lever mechanism to elevate the semaphore mechanism from the position shown in Fig. 6. When the engine passes onto the rail 3 on the right as seen in Fig. 4, said rail is depressed and is moved up against the main rail. The pressure on said rail 3 will spread rail 3 on the left. The flange of the ;wheel will pass through the groove 9 in the end of the right hand rail 3, and will pass between the left hand rail 3 and the main rail.

The connections between one of the cross rails, for example, the cross rail indicated by 2, are as follows: 41 is a sliding plate which is movable in a guide 42, said guide 42 being below the movable rail 2 This plate 41 has a notch 43 cut therein which receives the end of the loose rail 2, the upper edge of said loose rail lying a sufficient distance above the slide 41. Connected to said slide is a connecting rod consisting of two members 44' and 45 which are telescoped at their ends, one fitting within the other and the joint thus formed is surrounded by a coil spring 46, the function of which is to minimize the jar due to the shifting of the rail 2 to and from alinement with the abutting end 2-see Fig. 6. The section 45 of the connecting rod just referred to is connected to the semaphore cross arm 18 so that the slide 41 is actuated simultaneously with the semaphore arm 11. For example, when the arm 11 is lowered across the cross track, the loose rail 2 is shifted out of alinement with the adjacent end and should the approaching train on the cross track disregard the signal thus displayed, the trainwould be prevented from getting on to the main trackby being derailed at the point on one side of the main track, and owing to the position of the rail 2.

As the mechanism is shown in Fig. 1, the gate has been lowered over the cross track and the cross rail 2* shifted out of alinemnt, by the train depressing the first auxiliary rail 3 to the left. The train is supposed to be between the first auxiliary rail 3 to the left and the second auxiliary rail 3 to the right. When the train passes a crossing and engages the first auxiliary rail 3 to the right, said rail is depressed to actuate the semaphore connections to elevate the semaphore arm from its lowered position t and the samefloperation takes place when a train approaches the crossing from either side.

The auxiliary rails 3 have their upper edgesjbeveled throughout the length and the width of the upper edge of said rails should not be more than an inch and may be less, comparing them with the regular rails. Also these auxiliary rails need not be extended higher than two inches above the top of the regular rails. The free ends of these auxiliary rails 3v are suitably tapered downward to their ends to avoid any contact with any portion of the pilot'of the engine in passing over the signal devices.

It will be understood that when the semaphore light is displayed by lowering the arm 11, the color changes to the usual red light indicating danger; this red light may be arranged in any suitable manner.

I claim:

1. In an automatic railway signal, an

auxiliary rail adjacent to a track rail, a lever extended below said auxiliary rail and adapted to be actuated by pressure upon said auxiliary rail, a semaphore signal apparatus adjacent to a track crossing a main track, an

side of the semaphore devices, said auxiliary rails having ends pivoted to the rails of one of the tracks and the ends oppositewthe pivotal ends provided with lever connections which support them at such ends, rod and lever connections extending from below each of the auxiliary rails to the semaphore devices, the auxiliary rails each being adapted to transmit movement to the semaphore devices when weight is placed upon said auxiliary rails.

3. In an automatic railway signal, a semaphore signal comprising a horizontal and upright shaft with intermeshing gears, an arm extended from the horizontal shaft and adapted to extend over a cross track, an oscillating arm connected to the upright shaft, a cross rail having one end adapted to receive lateral movement, a connection between said cross rail and the oscillating arm on the upright shaft whereby said cross rail may be shifted laterally in and out of alinement with an adjacent end or portion of the cross rail, two series of levers arranged adjacent to one side of a main track, two auxiliary rails arranged on the inner side of the rails on one side of said main track, said auxiliary rails being pivotally connected to the rails of the main track, means for maintaining said auxiliary rails in parallel position with the railsof the main track, and lever connections extending below each of the auxiliary rails and connecting with the series of levers adjacent to the main track.

4. In an automatic railway signal, a sema phore signal located at the intersection of two cross tracks, said semaphore signal being connected with a rail of one of the cross tracks which is adapted to receive lateral movement from the semaphore devices, two auxiliary rails located on each side of the semaphore devices, and lever and link connections extending from said semaphore devices to said auxiliary rails, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

NOAH E. SPITLER.

Witnesses:

R. J. MCOARTY, O. M. THEOBALD. 

